The meager meal was served on a table covered with an exquisitely embroidered tablecloth. Lambert scooped up a bowl of mulled wine, forcefully broke apart the frozen black bread, and softened it by soaking, beginning his first meal after returning home.
The dried meat, made from an unknown type of animal, no longer showed its original color. A layer of crystallized salt ensured it hadn't spoiled, though its texture was indescribable.
Watching Lambert, who had trekked through the wind and snow for a long time, wolf down the unappetizing food, Tika's fingers bloomed with white light and touched the dining table. Various delicacies appeared on the tablecloth! The silver pot was filled with fine wine, and crispy roast suckling pig and roast chicken emitted enticing oily aromas, filling the large dining table to the brim!
Lambert blinked, put down the bread he hadn't finished, reached out, picked up a piece of crystal-clear jam from the fruit bowl, tasted it, and looked at Tika with disbelief.
"This isn't an illusion?"
Tika plucked a grape still bearing water droplets from the fruit platter, peeled it, and said, "Hero's Feast. This spell can conjure a lavish banquet. The only limitation is time. After two hours, all this food will disappear. During this period, everything we eat is real and substantial, and the feeling of fullness will persist."
The silver pot automatically refilled the wine glasses. The knives and forks cut the food into evenly sized slices according to the diner's wishes. Slices of meat then jumped to the sauce dish, were evenly coated, and then flew into Tika's bowl.
After a few sips, Tika put down her cutlery, gestured for the two demon hunters to help themselves, and then rose to flip through the various documents stored in the high tower.
Dancing orbs of light provided illumination for Tika. This spell, called Eternal Bright Flame, was very convenient, providing light without causing fires, similar in effect to electric lights.
The content of the documents was very tedious. Due to poor preservation, some of the text was damaged and lost, and a musty odor filled the library.
There wasn't much information about the convergence of celestial spheres, but what was there was valuable. The demon hunters who hunted monsters had also attempted to prevent the phenomenon of celestial sphere convergence during their peak. Monsters appeared continuously due to the convergence, meaning the demon hunters' work would never end.
The sorcerers who created the demon hunters had spent a lot of time on this but could not find a solution. The convergence of celestial spheres had no precursor, and even the name "convergence of celestial spheres" was given to them by the elves who were drawn into this world.
The elves who accidentally arrived in this world also brought their knowledge and civilization. To find their way home faster, they imparted everything they knew to the ignorant humans. The subsequent outcome was as Tika expected: almost all existing grand palaces were elven residences, and most of the rest were built on the ruins of elven structures.
Before humans attacked the elves, their research had made progress.
And this brings us to the Elder Blood. This bloodline was naturally attuned to spatial power and could traverse freely between world barriers. Relying on the ancient blood, the surviving elves came to live in another world, but both spellcasters and stargazers discovered the hidden dangers of doing so!
Frequent world traversions seemed to have caused some irreversible damage. A frost that extinguished heat invaded the world through these rifts, and the terrible low temperatures turned the world into a place of deathly silence!
This was the origin of the White Frost!
To delay the arrival of the White Frost, humans and elves ceased their war, dedicating their time and energy to researching the White Frost, and consequently lost interest in the convergence of celestial spheres.
Closing the document in hand, Tika fell into thought. If her guess was correct, the White Frost was caused by the convergence of celestial spheres!
This world plundered the populations of other worlds. The world consciousness that lost these populations would likely not stand idly by and would seek out the culprits who stole its world's essence through unseen connections. The fluctuations caused by the Elder Blood traversing space were merely a signal. This suggested that the appearance of the Elder Blood might have been orchestrated by the world consciousness.
Most sorcerers believed that the ancient blood was a rare source of magic. Those with a talent for magic sources, be they humans or elves, could become powerful sorcerers after receiving instruction. This was a rule that did not exist in the world of the Rings, the elves' original home, and could only be explained as a gift from the world consciousness. Upon closer inspection, the Elder Blood and the convergence of celestial spheres were essentially the same, both being abilities of spatial attributes, which undoubtedly served as further proof of the world consciousness's manipulation.
Was this world consciousness, like a salted fish, playing the fool while being a cunning schemer? Tika's first reaction was that she was fortunate to have descended with an avatar for safety instead of her true form, otherwise, she would have delivered herself to their doorstep!
This was the first time she had encountered such a devious world consciousness. This world's reckless wandering and contact with other worlds were not just for plundering material resources, but likely also for diverting disaster! httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
This formed a closed loop: the world consciousness plundered everywhere, and the plundered worlds retaliated with White Frost tides. To escape the White Frost, the world consciousness scurried around more diligently on its plundering missions, often delivering White Frost gift packages to formidable opponents! After all, most worlds could not move independently, and beyond a certain distance, their perception of the White Frost would weaken, slowing down the White Frost tide and giving the world consciousness a chance to breathe.
As for the elves known as the Wild Hunt, the ancient blood they sought could not lead them to their homeland. Instead, they became great fools covering for the world consciousness, bringing the disaster of the White Frost to every world they found, thereby easing the pressure on the robbers.
This was truly playing the system to its fullest! Exploiting the workers to death without paying overtime!
How could Tika tolerate such a human tragedy unfolding before her? If the world consciousness was sensible, it would share a portion with her; otherwise, she wouldn't hesitate to act.
In the Chaos Sea, on the periphery of the world. Tika opened her eyes from the branches of the World Tree. The World Tree rustled its leaves, casting a layer of clear light over the rapidly moving world.
This was the World Tree's function of concealing the world's location. Tika had thought it would never be useful, but unexpectedly, it served a purpose in such a place.
The world consciousness, feigning death, also discovered that the White Frost had lost its direction. The cunning salted fish proactively contacted Tika and generously extended an invitation for cooperation and mutual benefit.
The two parties engaged in heated discussions regarding the profit-sharing. In the end, the shrewd world law, in exchange for a divine position's profound meaning picked up from an unknown world, obtained Tika's concession.
The terms of their agreement were as follows: while Tika provided the world with stealth effects, two-tenths of the world's produced primal force would be the rental fee for the World Tree, and another tenth would be commission. This was acceptable to both parties, and they quickly reached an agreement, fearing that the other might go back on their word and raise the price.
Tika held the incomplete, magnificent divine spark in her hand and smiled without speaking. Now she understood why this world had no creator god, yet the world consciousness was so unrestrained without being dealt with. This divine spark must have played a decisive role in this world's growth from a foam-like illusory interface to its current material state. The generation of the White Frost was also inextricably linked to this divine spark!
The incomplete divine position contained within this divine spark was Entropy!